Collection: Temperature Controllers: use cases and how to choose

Temperature controllers are devices used to regulate and maintain a desired temperature range for a system or process. They are commonly used in chicken coops, sheds, egg incubators, fish tanks, vivariums, or when using grow lights and in brewing processes:

• Greenhouses and grow rooms: In agriculture and horticulture, temperature controllers are used in greenhouses and indoor grow rooms to create and maintain ideal growing conditions for plants. These controllers can regulate heating or cooling systems, such as heaters or exhaust fans, to keep the temperature within a specific range. This is crucial for the growth of various plants and crops, as temperature control affects their development.
• Refrigeration devices in campervans and boats: 12V temperature controllers are used in mobile refrigeration units found in campervans, caravans, overlanding vehicles and boats. These controllers help maintain the desired temperature inside refrigerators and freezers, ensuring that food and beverages remain properly chilled or frozen while on the move. They can control the compressor and other components to optimize energy usage and temperature stability.
• Aquariums: Temperature control is crucial in maintaining a stable and comfortable environment for aquatic life in aquariums. Temperature controllers can be employed to regulate the temperature of aquarium heaters or cooling systems, ensuring that the water temperature remains within the ideal range for the fish and other aquatic organisms.
  
• Poultry farming, such as raising chickens and other birds, requires precise temperature control in brooders and incubators. Temperature controllers can manage heating elements, heat lamps, or other temperature-controlling devices to create the optimal conditions for the growth and development of chicks and eggs.
• Brewing processes: Temperature controllers are commonly used to regulate the temperature of fermentation chambers or fermentation vessels.

A temperature controller typically includes a sensor probe that measures the temperature of a system, a control circuit that compares the measured temperature to a setpoint temperature, and an output device that adjusts the system to maintain the desired temperature. A temperature controller is a closed control loop that acts as a relay switch to turn on or off a cooling or a heating device, depending on the measured temperature and the temperature setpoint.

A temperature controller requires a power supply, whether 12V DC or 220V AC. The power supply may or may not be shared between the controller and the heating and cooling devices:

• If the heating and cooling devices have their own power supplies, the STC-1000 Temperature Controller design is the most popular solution. It allows to use one shared or separate power supplies for the temperature control, the heating and the cooling circuits, depending on how you wire them. The instructions manual of the STC-1000 shows how to use separate power supplies. The product page on the Altimus website contains a picture showing how to connect the controller, cooling and heating devices to a shared power supply.
• If the temperature controller and the heating or cooling device have to share the same power supply, the XH-W3001 Temperature Controller design is a more simple solution that acts as a simple switch mounted in series.